吃chī

By Liu Xinwu （劉心武）

With a mouth (口,kǒu) by the left side,吃 (chī,eat) seems to be an essentially important thingin Chinese culture,which is revealed in the wide use of the character in the Chinese language and its close connection to nearly every aspect of life in China.

Western culture is labeled as a “sex culture” while the Chinese culture is regarded as an “eating culture”—Does this stereotype hold water?

More or less,I suppose.

Just take myself for instance,I set up a column in Saturday’s “Life Special” ofChina Youth Dailyentitled 品味生活 (pǐnwèi shēnghuó,Tasting Life).品 (pǐn),the Chinese character of the English equivalent “taste,” consists of three mouths,in order to chew out the flavor-even that of “life.” What else cannot be eaten or dared not be eaten?

We Chinese divide our contacts in life roughly into two different categories:生人(shēngrén,strangers) and 熟人 (shúrén,acquaintances).(Interestingly,生 and 熟 refer to “raw” and “cooked” respectively in the culinary language.)

To strangers,as we are unfamiliar with each other,we say we 不吃他那套 (bù chī tā nà tào,refuse to eat his stuff) and conversely to us,they 軟硬不吃 (ruǎn yìng bù chī,won’t take our stuff,soft or hard).

As for our acquaintances,just because we are acquainted,we have the confidence to digest them,and in return they are happy to accommodate us,as the saying goes 熟人好事 (shúrén hǎo bànshì,“Things get easier between acquaintances”).

Such foods as sashimi are rarely listed in traditional Chinese cuisine.We tend to have all raw stuff thoroughly cooked before we find it easy to cope with.If a dish is 夾生 (jiāshēng,half-cooked),it will be regarded as a faulty practice in culinary skills.

When talking about developing an acquaintance,we say 一回生，二回熟 (yī huí shēng,èr huí shú,“Once raw,twice ripe”).We look forward to seeing each other as acquaintances and knowing each other well.It would not only make things easy,but the association between us would get more 有味兒 (yǒu wèir,tasty),unlikely to be 中看不中吃 (zhōng kàn bù zhōng chī,good look to the eye,bad taste in the bite).

西方文化是“性文化”，中國文化是“吃文化”——這說法有道理么？

多少有那么一點道理吧。

說我自己吧，我在《中國青年報》的周六“生活特刊”上辟了一個專欄，就叫“品味生活”，“品”是三張嘴，而且要嚼出味道——連“生活”也要吃，還有什么不能吃、不敢吃的？

我們把生活里接觸的人大體分兩類，一類是生人，一類是熟人。

生人，因為不熟，所以，我們往往“不吃他那套”，他也對我們“軟硬不吃”。

熟人，因為熟了，所以我們有信心消化他，他也樂于容納我們，“熟人好辦事”。

我們中國的傳統菜肴中很少生魚片那類的東西，我們總是要把生的東西弄得爛熟，才覺得好對付。菜如果做“夾生”了，那屬于烹調中的敗筆。

“一回生，二回熟嘛。”我們期待著互相視作熟人，彼此都熟，那就不僅“好說”，而且相處“有味兒”，不至于“中看不中吃”。

遇見難對付的事，我們常慨嘆：“真吃不消。”

棋牌賽中我們贏了對方的棋子或牌，很少說“我贏了你這個”，或“我取消了你這個”，一般總是說“我吃了你”。費力時，我們說“吃力”； 受驚時，我們說“吃驚”；受損失時，我們說“吃虧”；依賴原有功勞，我們說“吃老本”；

受重視，我們稱之為“吃香”，受冷落則叫作“不吃香”或“吃癟”；

混得好，我們稱之為“吃得開”；混得不好自然就是“吃不開”；

被刀砍，我們說是“吃一刀”，被箭射，我們說是“吃一箭”，被槍擊，我們說是“吃一槍”“吃黑棗兒”或是“飲彈”；

足球場上運動員犯規，裁判給了他警告或罰他下場，我們中國人說是“吃了一張黃牌”或“吃了紅牌”；

工廠訂貨量不夠，我們就說“吃不飽”；

對問題心中無數，我們說是“吃不準”；

卷入了訴訟，我們說是“吃官司”；

當中間人拿傭金，我們說是“吃回扣”；

女子長得漂亮，那麻煩了，我們不說“秀色可賞”，而說“秀色可餐”；

想占有一樣并非食物的東西，我們也說是“垂涎三尺”；

肯定一樣并非食物的東西，比如文章、節目、繪畫……我們也說“很有嚼頭”；

有技術，生存能力強，我們說是“一招鮮，吃遍天”；汲取教訓，我們說是“吃一塹，長一智”——細想這話最怪：“塹”怎么個吃法呢？

會吃是中國人的美德，不會吃則被人看不起，甚至構成奚落或罵人的話語，如：“吃飽了撐的。”

“別含著骨頭露著肉。”

“別貪多嚼不爛。”

“別想一口吃成個大胖子。”

“你這吃里扒外的家伙。”

“什么腥的臭的你都叼。”

中國批評家都是吃家，1400年前那個鐘嶸寫的《詩品》，就開創了三張嘴吃作家作品的先河。所謂批評，其實就是“品味”，他們動不動說什么作品“有味道”“品位高”，要么就是“沒味道”或“味道”不夠“醇厚”，“淡而無味”“品位低”或簡直“乏味”；他們總喜歡作品“有血有肉”，喜歡“成熟”，贊賞“獨特的風格”，而且最好是讓他們“品”完了還能“余味無窮”，可供他們“回味”。在中國，批評家的評論文章中幾乎不可避免地要出現許多與吃有關的語匯，即使是有嚴重胃病的批評家，亦難免俗，難怪有的作家一想到批評家，眼前便現出一排白森森的牙齒來。

When confronted with a hard nut to crack,we often deplore with sighs:真吃不消 (zhēn chī bù xiāo,“It’s really too hard a bift”).

In playing a game of chess or poker,we rarely say:“I won this,” or “I removed that of yours.” Instead,we always say:我吃了你 (wǒ chī le nǐ ,“I ate a piece of yours”).

When great efforts are needed,we call it 吃力 (chīlì,literally,“eating your energy”).

When startled,we would say:吃驚 (chījīng,“eating a surprise”).

When a loss has been sustained,we name it 吃虧 (chīkuī,“eating a loss”).

To someone living off his past glory,we say:吃老本 (chī lǎoběn,“eating your own fat”).

Being favored by others,we call it 吃香 (chī xiāng,“eating the fragrant”),and being neglected or snubbed,we would call it 不吃香 (bú chī xiāng,“no fragrant stuff to eat”),or 吃癟(chī biě,“cracking an empty nut”).

Someone doing very well in life,we would say:吃得開 (chī de kāi,“eating his way round”)—while those not doing very well,of course,are referred to as 吃不開 (chī bu kāi,“not able to eat too far”).

Cut by a knife,we call it 吃一刀 (chī yī dāo,“eaten a knife”); shot by an arrow,we call it 吃一箭 (chī yī jiàn,“eaten an arrow”); shot by a gun,we call it:吃一槍 (chī yī qiāng,“eaten a gun”),吃黑棗兒 (chī hēi zǎor,“eaten a black date”),or 飲彈 (yǐn dàn,“nursed a bullet”).

When a player commits a foul on the football field and the referee warns him or kicks him off the pitch,the Chinese would say:吃了一張黃牌 (chīle yīzhāng huángpái,“He has eaten a yellow card”),or 吃了紅牌 (chīle hóngpái,“eaten a red card”).

For an insufficient order amount in a factory,we say:吃不飽 (chī bù bǎo,“not able to eat enough”).

Not feeling sure about something,we call it 吃不準 (chī bù zhǔn,“unable to eat the certainty”).

Involved in a legal action,we say:吃官司 (chī guānsi,“eating a lawsuit”).

Taking commissions as a middleman,we call it 吃回扣 (chī huí kòu,“eat the rebate”).

Trouble would come if a woman looks beautiful because we don’t describe her to be “such a beauty worth being appreciated.” Instead,we say 秀色可餐 (xiù sè kě cān,“beautiful enough to feast the eyes”).

Covetous for a non-food object,we also describe it as 垂涎三尺 (chuí xián sān chǐ,“drooling for three feet”).

Holding a positive opinion on a non-food object,such as an article,a performance or a painting etc.,we also say 很有嚼頭 (hěn yǒu jiáo tóu,“worth being chewed repeatedly”).

Having obtained expertise in a marketable skill,we say someone has 一招鮮，吃遍天 (yī zhāo xiān,chī biàn tiān,“A special skill in hand,you can eat around the world”); when referring to learning lessons from a setback,we say 吃一塹，長一智 (chī yī qiàn,zhǎng yī zhì,“Eaten a pitfall,you’ll become wiser”)—after a second thought,you might sense the absurdity in this saying:How on earth can a pitfall be consumed?

A good mastery of various dining skills is considered a virtue of the Chinese.Otherwise,you may be disdained by others.A lack of such skills has even induced teasing or cursing remarks like:吃飽了撐的。 (chī bǎo le chēng de.“You must have got yourself over-stuffed.”)

別含著骨頭露著肉。 (bié hán zhe gǔ tóu lù zhe ròu.“Don’t bite the bone in the mouth and leave the meat outside,” a Chinese idiom meaning “being hesitant in speech as if trying to hide something.”)

別貪多嚼不爛。 (bié tān duō jiáo bú làn.“Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”)

別想一口吃成個大胖子。 (bié xiǎng yī kǒu chī chéng gè dà pàng zi.“Don’t dream to become a fatty with just one bite.”)

你這吃里扒外的家伙。 (nǐ zhè chī lǐ pá wài de jiā huǒ.“You are a treacherous guy,eating within but serving without.”)

什么腥的臭的你都叼。 (shénme xīng de chòu de nǐ dōu diāo.“You dare to take into mouth whatever is foul or smelly.”)

All the Chinese critics are masters of the stomach.Poetry Appreciation,written by Zhong Rong 1400 years ago,initially blazed the trail for digesting literary works with three mouths.So-called literary criticism is in essence the course of mastication.They more than often say this and that writing is “delicious” and “highly tasteful,” or “unpalatable”—or perhaps the taste being not “mellow enough,” “weak and tasteless,” “of low flavoring,” or simply “insipid.” They prefer the writing to “go with flesh and bones,” favor the “ripeness” and appreciate the “unique touch,” better to “have the aftertaste lingering long” after they have “tongued” the taste,and worth their while to “chew the cud.” In China,critiques simply can’t escape from the employment of diction relating to dining.Even those critics with severe stomach trouble can’t avoid falling into the cliché.No wonder some writers say they would see a row of white teeth at the thought of their critics.

We Chinese often say,不要因噎廢食 (búyào yīnyēfèishí,“Don’t give up eating for fear of choking”),but has this little passage of mine got you a bit choked? Well,leave me alone here,and please keep digging as usual.

(From Exquisite Prose:Humanities and Elegance Volume,by Xinjiang Youth Publishing House.Translation:Luo Dongyuan)

中國人常說“不要因噎廢食”，我這小文讓你噎了幾下么？不要理我，請照吃不誤。

（摘自《精美散文——人文·雅趣卷》新疆青少年出版社）